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SEX EDUCATION 
IN THE HOME 




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THE UNITED STATES PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE 
Washington, D. C. 

V 



WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
I920 







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SEX EDUCATION IN THE HOME. 

During the last 10 or 15 years society has been learning that many 
tragedies in marriage and much suffering among innocent women 
and children have been caused by sex diseases. It is believed that the 
spread of these diseases has been due largely to ignorance and false 
ideas regarding sex. Formerly the subject of sex was associated 
with secret and vicious practices; to discuss it was indecent. Now, 
men and women are coming to understand that the sex function is 
intimately connected with the physical, mental, and moral develop- 
ment of the individual and with the welfare of the entire race. Peo- 
ple are learning that its right use is the surest basis of health, hap- 
piness, and usefulness, and that it is a subject full of nobleness, 
purity, and health. It is believed that sex education will remedy, 
in large measure, the suffering caused by these diseases. 

It has been discovered, moreover, that many of the disasters men- 
tioned are due to false ideas acquired in childhood. When a mother 
evades the questions of her child regarding the facts of birth, or 
answers them untruthfully, its questions thereafter are generally 
directed toward other sources of information. The results are often 
most unfortunate. Sex education, therefore, should begin in the 
home not later than the time when the child asks its first question 
about the origin of life. It should proceed in easy, progressive 
stages, a little here and a little there, on through the years until the 
child has become an adult. 

HOW TO BEGIX. 

A wholesome curiosity about birth and sex exists in all normal 
children. It is implanted by nature. This curiosity generally shows 
itself at the age of 5, G, or 7. When a little child first asks, "Where 
did the baby come from?" or " Where did the kittens come from?" 
the mother's opportunity has come. An evasion or a falsehood now 
may be disastrous. When the child discovers it has been deceived it 
is not likely to return to its mother when it wishes to learn more. 
It will go elsewhere. Parents, both mother and father, ought to be 
prepared for four possible situations: (1) The little child may ask 
some such question as is indicated above : that is, " Where did baby 
come from?" (2) He may ask some utterly unexpected question, for 

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4 SEX EDUCATION IN THE HOME. 

example, "What does it mean, 'half shepherd and half St. Ber- 
nard?' ' (3) He may ask some question beyond his years, some ques- 
tion the answer to which he is too young to understand. (4) He may 
not ask any question at all, either because he has had his curiosity 
satisfied from other sources or because he has got the idea in some 
way that it is improper to mention matters of sex. 

1. The parent may answer a question like the first safely, truth- 
fully, and wisely in some such way as this : " Babies grow inside 
tkeir mothers' bodies, just as little birds in a nest or seeds in a flower. 
The seeds, when they are ripe, come out of the flower ; the birds hatch 
from the eggs and when their wings grow they leave the nest; and 
babies, after they are big enough, come out from the mother's body, 
and we say they are born." 

2. If the child asks the question regarding the breed of a dog or 
another animal, it may be answered somewhat as follows : " The dog 
is called half shepherd and half St. Bernard because one of its 
parents was a shepherd dog and the other was a St. Bernard dog. 
All little dogs must have both a mother and a father; little kittens 
always have a mother and a father, and so, too, there are always 
mother birds and father birds when little birds are born, and there 
are always mothers and fathers when little babies are born." 

This often will satisfy the child completely. Sometimes it will 
be necessary or desirable to show the child some simple flowers like 
the sweet pea, and to continue somewhat as follows : " Do you see 
the fine, yellow dust in these flowers ? It is called pollen. When the 
bee goes from flower to flower, it often carries pollen from one 
flower to another. The pollen contains male cells. They go down 
through the slender tube in the center to the bottom part of the 
flowers, where they find the female cells. There the male cells unite 
with the female cells, Then the new cells thus formed grow into 
seeds. We plant the seeds in the ground, and in the spring they 
develop into plants which bear flowers like these we are looking at. 
So in all kinds of animals and in people there are male cells and 
female cells, and both the mother and the father have a part in the 
development of the young." 

3. When the child asks questions that are too unexpected for 
ready answer, it may be necessary to postpone a reply. But the 
mother should never evade the question or show amusement. She 
should answer promptly and directly that the question is one that 
she can not explain until the child is older; just as there are other 
questions about a steel bridge, for instance, or questions about the 
stars, that the child can not understand until it is in a higher grade 
at school. She should say that she will explain these questions when 
the child is old enough, and that any time the child may come again 



SEX EDUCATION IN THE HOME. 5 

and ask this or any other question. If the child does not seem 
completely satisfied, however, she should answer the questions in 
a direct manner, rather than accept the risk of his going elsewhere 
for an answer. The mother should keep the child's confidence by 
frankness and should always keep the line of communication open. 
Most of his questions may be answered with safety by the use of 
the simplest language. 

4. If the child asks no questions at all and makes no easy open- 
ing for the parent, then the parent should begin by referring to the 
recent birth of some pet animal or of a baby. The parent should 
always do this before the child first enters school or mingles much 
with other children. 

If the child has been deceived, the parent may say to the child: 
"Do 3^011 remember when you asked me where baby brother came 
from, I told you that the doctor brought him? Well, that is the 
way mothers answer little children, just as they tell them that Santa 
Claus brings them Christmas presents. You know now that mother 
and father are Santa Claus, and now you are ready for me to explain 
to you that babies really come from the mother's body." She may 
then proceed as suggested above. 

Many parents would not hesitate to answer the child's simpler 
questions or to open up the subject with the child if the parent were 
not afraid of what the first question might lead to. It ought to be 
remembered by parents that it is not necessary to tell little children 
much. It is enough to satisfy natural curiosity and above all to keep 
the child feeling that he may come to the parent at any time with 
any question. The child should be made to feel the sacredness of 
reproduction and that what is perfectly proper to speak to the parent 
about may not be proper to speak to others about. Thus at an early 
age the child may learn the facts of sex in a clean way and at the 
same time he may learn to be properly modest and reticent. 

THE RESPONSE OF ONE CHILD TO PROPER INSTRUCTION. 

The response of children to the truth is often most gratifying, 
A prominent physician tells of one twentieth-century mother whose 
6-year-old boy had been brought to her bedside and introduced to 
his 2-day-old baby sister. She answered the boy's question as to 
where the baby came from in this way : " Baby sister came out of 
mamma's body ; baby sister was formed within mamma's body ; she 
was formed from materials taken out of mamma's blood, and that's 
the reason why mamma's hands are so thin and white and mamma's 
cheeks so pale." To this further question, " Mamma, was I formed 
inside of your body and formed out of your blood? " the mother re- 
plied : " Yes, my boy, you were ; and that's the reason why mamma 
loves her little boy so, because she gave her own life blood to make 



D SEX EDUCATION IN THE HOME. 

his body." The little boy's eyes took on a far-away look and he 
was evidently trying to grasp the great idea of mother sacrifice. 
Evidently this child mind got at last a glimmer of the great truth, 
because presently his wide-open eyes filled full of tears, and turn- 
ing to his mamma he threw his arms about her neck and said, " Oh, 
mamma, I never loved you so much before." 

" In telling this wonderful truth in this matchlessly simple and 
beautiful way," writes the physician, c; that mother made a new, 
strong bond between her own heart and her boy's heart that will 
hold them together in bonds of strictest confidence and love 
throughout life. To this boy, parenthood is a sacred relation. That' 
mother, by thus filling her child's mind with the thought of the 
sacredness of motherhood, completely occupied its virgin soil, giv-. 
ing no place for the noisome weeds of vulgarity and obscenity to 
germinate and grow. A child thus started in his knowledge of sex 
is saved from all that is vulgar and unwholesome, to all that is 
pure and wholesome. " 

INSTRUCTION SHOULD BE GIVEN STEP BY STEP. 

The parent should not try to tell the child many new facts at one 
time. Opportunities will occur for adding information as the child 
and parent observe the life of the plants and animals around them. 

In the spring the child may be shown how the birds mate and 
how two of them are always together building the nest; how, after 
a time, the eggs are laid in the nest and the mother bird rests upon 
them with her warm body for a period of 10 to 20 clays, leaving the 
eggs only for a few moments to get necessary food ; and how, at the 
end of that time, the young birds begin to hatch. The parent may 
explain how the mother bird continues to protect them with her 
body, giving up, if necessaiw, her very life for their protection from 
enemies, until the little birds are able to fly and to care for themselves. 
Where young chickens are raised, a similar explanation may be given. 

The same information can be convej^ed little by little concerning 
the birth of the dog and of the lambs on the farm, and of the calves 
and pigs. Each lesson will give the child new opportunities to ask 
questions which have come into his mind since the previous talk. 
Two or three years after the first instruction, or, in other words, 
when the child is about 8 or 9 years old, it naturally will be curious 
to know what is the father's, part in reproduction. The parent may 
then explain again the fertilization of the female cells in the flower 
by the male cells. The child may then be told that the male cells 
are made in the sex glands which hang from the lower part of the 
body, and that they pass from the father to a nest in the mother's 
body where the female cells lie and where the baby Avill grow per-, 
fectly protected from harm. 



SEX EDUCATION E>T THE HOME. 7 

During the years between 6 and 10, when the opportunity offers, 
you should warn your boy (and it is often wise to warn the girl) 
against handling the sex organs except for the purpose of cleansing 
them. It is wrong to arouse fear in this connection. The child 
should simply be warned to avoid any companion who may try to 
teach him to handle his sex organs. He should be told, if necessary, 
that self-abuse is a selfish, stupid habit that may hinder his progress 
toward the finest manhood or womanhood. The best way to pre- 
vent the habit is (1) to keep the child constantly busy with healthful 
play and good companionship, and (2) to arouse a high respect in 
him for the wonderful process of reproduction made possible by the 
sex organs. In the case of your boy you should see that the sex 
organ is kept free from irritating substances beneath the foreskin. 
Circumcision may be necessary to decrease the irritation and assist 
him in keeping clean. 

ADOLESCENCE. 

As your child approaches adolescence, which begins at about 12 
in girls and 14 in boys, questions become less frequent. If confidence 
has been firmly established, it is likely that much valuable informa- 
tion will have been given by answering questions in a simple, natural 
way. But it will probably be necessary for you to give information 
voluntarily about the important sex changes which now take place. 

Your boy and girl should understand that the new sensations and 
impulses that come to them at this time are indications that their 
bodies are being prepared for the duties and responsibilities of 
motherhood and fatherhood. 

Your boy should understand that seminal emissions at night gen- 
erally begin at about 15 or 16. These experiences consist of a dis- 
charge of a fluid from the sex organs during sleep. The}^ are" normal, 
most boys have them, and no attention need be paid to them unless 
they occur oftener than one to four times a month. Tie should also 
understand that the sex glands on the outside of the body manufac- 
ture two secretions. One secretion is a fluid containing the male 
seeds or the father's part in the production of the babj^. The other 
secretion is never seen but is absorbed by the blood, and contributes 
greatly to the vigor of manhood. B03-S should not be frightened by 
untrue statements that self-abuse causes terrible results or other 
exaggerated description of its effects. But they should understand 
that such a habit may interfere with the development of the manly 
qualities they are all ambitious to possess. The prevalent idea that it 
is healthy to exercise the sex organs through sex relations with 
women should be corrected. The common sense and idealism of a 
life of- continence before marriage can be emphasized at this time. 

It is highly important that girls, before their bodies show signs 
pf change, should be told about menstruation. Make your daughter 



8 SEX EDUCATION IN THE HOME. 

understand that, this is a normal function; that she will have no 
pain and practically no discomfort if her body is healthy, her muscles 
firm and well developed, her blood and digestion as they should be. 
During early adolescence, if it has not been done before, explain to 
her the reproductive system and the method of reproduction. It is 
in such explanation that the girl learns once and for all the danger 
of illegitimacy connected with irregular sexual intercourse. 

Pamphlets for boys and girls may be obtained from most State 
boards of health. There are good books for them, but they should 
be selected with care. A list of recommended books may be found 
at the end of this pamphlet. 

As your boy associates more and more with his companions and 
men outside the home he has a right to some definite knowledge 
of venereal diseases. When the girl enters industrial or business life 
or is subjected to the dangers of questionable companions she should 
also be told of the seriousness of these diseases. Here more than any- 
where else you must regulate the amount and kind of information 
to suit the individual boy and girl. It is necessary that you have 
accurate knowledge of the seriousness and prevalence of these dis- 
eases. The description of them as one of many contagious germ 
diseases is a convincing way of handling the matter with normal boys 
and girls. Girls should be guarded against the exaggerations which 
would lead them to believe that all men have exposed themselves to 
these dangerous diseases. 

The craving for companionship, especially the companionship of 
girls and women, should be satisfied. The youth who keeps away 
from all girls usually has a harder fight against sex temptation than 
the youth who seeks friends among girls of the kind he wants later 
to marry and whom he treats in a courteous and manly way. A 
young man's plan for marriage will often help to keep him straight 
when nothing else would. 

INDIRECT TRAINING. 

During middle adolescence (from 16 to 19 years of age) guidance 
becomes indirect. Direct instruction should not be repeatedly given ; 
keep the youth's mind off the sex question. For your boy at this 
critical time the love of games and physical activities is able to pro- 
duce interests and enthusiasms which diminish the temptations to 
wrongful sex activity. You should overlook no opportunity to en- 
courage such natural athletic interests. You should encourage the 
eating of wholesome food and keeping the bowels in good working 
order. You should see to it that your boy has an abundance of exer- 
cise and fresh air, and from 8J to 10 hours' sleep, depending on his 
age. You must insist upon habits of frequent bathing and general 
cleanliness. Although girls are not so universally enthusiastic for 



SEX EDUCATION IN THE HOME. 9 

physical perfection at this period, you should encourage as much as 
possible their physical development and participation in outdoor 
sports. 

Your boy should also be encouraged in the development of inter- 
ests in life — in the making of things, in the multitude of projects 
which keep him busy. With both boys and girls this is the time of 
opportunity to develop through literature high ideals of romantic 
love and earnest enthusiasms for unselfish endeavor. It is a time 
when the youth is interested in his future career, in reforming proj- 
ects, in high adventure, and a time when he forms deep friendships. 
Participation in exciting and unselfish activities is a great safety 
valve at this period. 

Among normal boys and girls the developing sex life appears in 
an attraction for friends of the opposite sex. The manifestation 
known as " puppy love " must be guided and directed, but it can 
never be successfully repressed. The practice of familiarities be- 
tween the sexes, known commonly as spooning, presents a problem 
for you. It is positively useless merely to say " Don't do it." The 
unfairness of such things should be pointed out clearly. Boys and 
girls should be encouraged to mingle socially at frequent intervals 
at times and places at which adults can be present. 

WHERE TO GET INFORMATION. 

State boards of health and the United States Public Health Serv- 
ice have prepared pamphlets which present the facts of sex and 
describe accurately the venereal diseases and their effects, explaining 
the Government's campaign against these diseases. These pamphlets 
are available upon application to the above agencies. If you are a 
member of a parents' organization, you can obtain pamphlets in 
quantity to pass on to other members. Although public health offi- 
cers, policemen, and teachers have their important work to clo in 
this campaign, there is no work more fundamental or more impor- 
tant than the parent's part in guiding and instructing his or her 
own children. 



BOOKS ON SEX EDUCATION. 

Approved by the following committee : 

Rupeet Blue, Surgeon General, United States Public Health Service. 
Philandee P. Claxton, Commissioner, United States Bureau of Educa- 
tion. 
Chaeles W. Eliot, President Emeritus, Harvard University. 

FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN G-12 YEARS. 

How Shall I Tell My Child? Mrs. Woodallen Chapman. This book gives the 
exact words successfully used by parents in instructing their children. New 
York: Revell. 1912. 30 cents. 

The Way Life Begins. Bertha C. Cady and Vernon M. Cady. An illustrated 
book for teachers and parents, giving the facts of reproduction in plant, 
animal, and human life. New York: American Social Hygiene Association. 
1917. $1.25. 

The Renewal of Life. Margaret W. Morley. A popular explanation of repro- 
duction in plants and annuals. Chicago: McClurg. 1909. $1.25. 

The Mother's Reply. Nellie M. Smith. A book of instruction for little children 
of both sexes. It may be given to girls 10 to 12 years of age. New York : 
American Social Hygiene Association. 1910. 10 cents. 

FOR BOYS 11-14 YEARS. 

Life's Beginning. Winfield S. Hall, M. D. The story of reproduction in plants 
and animals, with a few pages on " The Secret of Manhood." Boys who 
begin to develop at IS or earlier should be given one of the books below. 
New York: Association Press. 1913. 25 cents. 

FOR BOYS 13-18 YEARS. 

Keeping in Condition. H. H. Moore. This book deals with sex hygiene as a 
part of a well-rounded program of physical training for all older boys. New 
York : Macmillan. 1915. 75 cents. (Published also by the Association Press, 
New York. 50 cents.) 

From Youth Into Manhood. Winfield S. Hall, M. D. A helpful book which 
presents in a wholesome manner the facts of sex which are important for boys 
to understand. New York : Association Press. 1909. 50 cents. 

FOR GIRLS 12-16 YEARS. 

The Three Gifts of Life. Nellie M. Smith. A book giving the facts of repro- 
duction on a biological basis and a girl's responsibility for race progress. 
New York: Dodd, Mead. 1913. 60 cents. 

Life Problems. Winfield S. Hall, M. D. The story of a girl in a well-protected 
home whose parents advise her regarding the care of her body and her rela- 
tions with her boy friends. Chicago : American Medical Association. 1913. 
20 cents. 

FOR YOUNG MEN. 

Reproduction and Sexual Hygiene. Winfield S. Hall, M. D. A book dealing 
with biology and thoroughly explaining the physiology and hygiene of sex 
for young men. New York : Association Press. 1908. $1. 
10 



SEX EDUCATION IX THE HOME. 11 

The Rational Sex Life for Men. M. J. Exner, M. D. An appeal for the single 
standard, with wise advice regarding the control of the sex instinct. New 
York : Association Press. 1914. 50 cents. 

FOR YOUNG WOMEN. 

The Three Gifts of Life. Nellie M. Smith. A hook giving the facts of repro- 
duction on a hiological basis and a girl's responsibility for race progress. 
New York : Dodd, Mead. 1913. 60 cents. 

For Girls and the Mothers of Girls. Mary G. Hood, M. D. A straightforward 
book presenting the facts of life for girls and their mothers in simple 
language. New York : Bobbs-Merriil. 1914. $1.25. 

FOR ENGAGED AND MARRIED PEOPLE. 

Engagement and Marriage. Orrin G. Cocks. A sensible book for married people 
and those soon to marry. New York: Association Press. 1913. 25 cents. 

FOR TEACHERS, SOCIAL WORKERS, PARENTS, AND STUDENTS OF SOCIAL 

HYGIENE. 

Sex Education. Maurice A. Bigelow. A study of the entire field of sex educa- 
tion, showing its need and scope. New York : Macmillan. 1916. $1.25. 

Problems and Principles of Sex Education. M. J. Exner, M. D. A study of 
statements from 94S college men with reference to their sex experiences in 
boyhood. New York : Association Press. 10 cents. 

The Social Emergency. Edited by William T. Foster. An excellent book on 
various phases of social hygiene for the general reader. Boston • Houghton, 
Mifflin. 1914. $1.35. 

A New Conscience and an Ancient Evil. Jane Addams. A statement of the 
causes of the social evil, with a plea for the education and protection of 
children. New York : Macmillan. 1914. 5C cents. 

Toward Racial Health. Norah March. An explanation of how the child may 
be prepared for the problems of sex. New York : Button. 1915. $1.25. 

The Biology of Sex. T. W. Galloway. A useful book for teachers. Explains 
the need for sex instruction and gives suggestions regarding time and maimer 
of instruction. New York : Heath. 1915. 75 cents. 

The Third Great Plague. J. H. Stokes. A discussion of syphilis made interest- 
ing for the general reader. It takes up the medical, social, and public health 
aspects. Philadelphia: AY. B. Saunders & Co. 1917. $1.25. 
These books may be obtained at most public libraries. 



PAMPHLETS. 

Ask for the following pamphlets according to your need : 
Pamphlet A. For young men. 
Pamphlet B. For the general public. 
Pamphlet C. For boys. 
Pamphlet D. For parents. 
Pamphlet E. For girls and young women. 
Pamphlet F. For educators. 



Write to 

Your State Board of Health 

or 

THE UNITED STATES PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, 

16 Seventh Street Southwest, 
Washington, D. C. 



V. D. Pamphlet No. 61. S. B. of H. 

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